Mechanical movement.



DB WITT 0, MAKEAN. MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 26,1908.

921 ,424, Patented May 11, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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1 J 5 F0 I 1' WITNESSES lNVENTO/i M J76 W42? 0. l Mean By ATTORNEYS DEWITT 0. MAKEAN.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26,1908.

j I Y VV M WITNESSES A 7'7'ORNEYS the base or support D for the machine.

UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

DE WITT OTIS MAKEAN, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF TWENTY-FIFEONE- HUNDREDTHS TO GEORGE W. FOWLER, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Application filed June 26, 1908. SeriaI No. 440,521.

new and improved mechanical movement,

more especially designed for transmitting motion to an upright shaft ata high speed and under a varying load, without causing undue vibration,friction, wear or noise, and without danger of breaking of the workingparts. With this object in view, the mechanical movement is es eciallyapplicable to laundry machines linown as extractors, and employed forthe speedy separation of the Water from the goods after washing thesame, and the mechanical movement is also applicable for driving feltextractors and other machines, and centrifugal separators for cream,sugar, honey and like substances.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and thenpointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews. 1

Figure 1 is a central side elevation of the improvement as applied to anextractor, the section being on the line 11 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is asectional plan view of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1 ;Fig. 3'is asimilar view of the same on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is adiagrammatic view of the spherical gearing; and Fig. 5 is a sectionalside elevation of a modified form of the improvement.

The upright shaft A carrying the vessel B of the extractor or othermachine, is journaled in a step C provided at its upper end with a ballC fitting a socket D formedr 1on 16 lower end of the shaft -A preferablrests on a ball-bearing E in the bottom of t 1e step C, and the latteris normally held in an upright osition by a ring F screwed on the step 0lielow the ball 0, the ring F having lugs F engaging the upper ends ofcoiled springs G set on lugs D projecting from the support D. Now by thearrangement described t e step 0 is free to oscillate on the support Dby the ball and socket connection C, D above described, but the step 0is normally held in a vertical position by the action of the springs Gon the ring F.

A driven wheel H is secured to the shaft A, as shown in Fig. 1, and thisdriven wheel H has its teeth arranged in spherical form, the center ofthe .wheel coinciding with the center of the ball- C of the step C. The

spherical gear wheel H is in mesh with a corresplonding spherical gearwheel I secured on .a s aft J journaled' on the support D and carrying abevel gear wheel K in mesh with a like gear wheel K secured on'thedriving shaft L, connected with suitable machinery for driving the shaftL. v The teeth of the driven gear wheel H and the driving gear wheel Iare preferably shaped, as disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, that is, eachtooth of the gear wheel H instead of being the same in thicknessthroughout its width, as in ordinary spur gear wheels, is thicker at themiddle than at the ends, and while the height of a tooth is the samethroughout its width, as in ordinary spur gear Wheels, the root and tiplines are not parallel with the shaft but are curved, the center of thecurve being at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical centerlines of the wheel H. In the driving Wheel I each tooth is higher at thecenter than at the ends, the root line being con cave and the tip lineconvex, and each tooth is thicker at the middle than at the ends, thsame as disclosed.

In using the machine, the vessel B is loaded in the usual manner, but asit is next to impossible to equally load the vessel B at all points, itis evident that when the shaft L is started up and-the rotary motion istransmitted by the gearing described to the and the shaft A and step Ccontinue out of I end of which is formed into a socket, the su thevertical line, then the action is still easy and noiseless, owing to thespherical gearing described, at Whatever angle the revolving shaft A mayassume, as the teeth of the Wheels H and I will always be in propermesh, as illustrated in the diagrammatic view shown in Fi 4:, andconsequently the machine Will wor with a minimum vibration, friction andconsequent wear.

Instead of using a spherical gearing, as above described and shown inFigs. 1 and 2, the shaft A may be provided with a spherical pulley H, asshown in Fig. 5, and over which passes a belt I connected with othermachinery for rotating the pulley H. It is understood that the center ofthe spherical ulley H coincides with the center of the ball and socketjoint, and consequently the belt I remains in engagement with thespherical pulley H in case the shaft A and its step 0 assume an inclinedposition relative to the vertical. By applying .the power to drive theshaft A in a horizontal plane passing through the center of the ball andsocket joint and the drive wheel H or pulley H, it is evident that theinclination of the shaft A and the step C does not affect the propertransmission of power, and hence the shaft and the vessel B can bedriven at a very high rate of speed without danger of injury to theworking parts.

Although I have shown the mechanical movement applied to an extractor,it is evident that I do not limit myself to this particular application,as the mechanical movement may be used on other machines.

The mechanical movement shown and described is very simple and durablein construction, is composed of comparatively few parts, not liable toget out of order.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A mechanical movement, com rising a support having a central openingt e upper port being provided with lugs within t 1e said opening, a stephaving a spherical upper end fitting in said socket and provided nearits lower end with lugs, springs interposed between the lugs of the stepand support, a shaft mounted in the step, and a spherical driven wheelon the shaft and having its center coinciding with the center of thespherical end of the step.

2. A mechanical movement, comprising a support having a central opening,the upper end of which is formed into a socket, the support beingprovided with lugs within the opening thereof, a step having a sphericalupper end fitting in the socket and provided near its lower end with aring screwed thereon and having lateral lugs, springs interposed betweenthe lugs of the support and step, a

shaft mounted in the step, and a spherical driven wheel on the shaft andhaving 1ts center coinciding with the center of the spherical end of thestep.

3. A mechanical movement comprising a base having a central openingterminating at itsupper end in a socket, the base being provided withlugs within the said. opening, a step having a spherical upper endfitting in the socket and provided near its lower end with lateral lugs,springs interposed between the lugs of the base and step, a shaftmounted in the step, a spherical gear wheel on the shaft, the center ofthe wheel coinciding with the center of the spherical end of the step, avertical shaft j ournaled in the base, a spherical gear wheel on thevertical shaft and meshing with the first named spherical gear wheel,and means for operating the vertical shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

DE WITT OTIS MAKEAN.

Witnesses:

ALLEN Gnrees, GEORGE WALKER STRATTON.

